Race of Romance
by Gabbeh
Summary: [SasuSaku] Being paired up in a race with an Uchiha was never easy…especially if he was an arrogant bastard, not to mention an overprotective boyfriend. Enter thugs, fan boys and Jiraiya, the host and a pervert extraordinaire. Hell will soon break loose.
1. Let The Race Begin!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto…

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**Author's Note:** I know I still have **Love or Chaos?** and **Where I Belong** to update, but I couldn't get this idea off my mind. It's summer anyway, so I'll be able to update faster than usual ;) 

This story is set years after the manga. Sasuke already killed Orochimaru and Itachi. They're all 18 years old except for Team Gai who are all 19. And, Asuma is still alive here -.-

This is similar to 'Amazing Race.' So yeah, Naruto characters have to complete tasks and such. This is just the first chapter so not much fluff and action yet. They'll be coming soon though xD

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**Summary:** Being paired up in a race with an Uchiha was never easy…especially if he was an arrogant bastard, not to mention an overprotective boyfriend. Enter thugs, fan boys and Jiraya, the host and a pervert extraordinaire. Hell will soon break loose. 

**Pairings: **SasuSaku, NejiTen, NaruHina, ShikaIno

* * *

**Race of Romance**

"A race?"

Jiraya nodded, grinning. "Seriously, what for? We all know Sakura could win anytime." Tsunade said proudly. Besides, she had been teaching the pink-haired medic for 6 years. She knew her capabilities.

A cough was heard from the other side of the room. "Yes, Kurenai?" The Hokage asked with a raised eyebrow. "If I may say so, I believe that what you're saying is merely an opinion. My team has trained hard. They're better than you think." Kurenai said.

"Now, now. It's obvious that my team is the best! Lee, Neji and Tenten are so full of youth! Not that I favor anyone, but they really have the fire of youth burning inside the-"

"Tch." Gai stopped talking and turned to Asuma. "May I remind all of you that only Shikamaru became a chuunin on his first try." He stated quite proudly. "Ha!" Everyone turned to Jiraya with annoyed faces.

"Naruto has come a long way! He even helped me on my mission-"

"Which was to spy on naked women." Kakashi finished for him. The masked man sighed. "You're my idol Jiraya-sama." He said. Everyone else in the room sweat dropped.

"Ehem." Tsunade gained everyone's attention. She turned to Jiraya. "So you're saying this is an event to test their abilities?" she asked. He nodded, the grin still on his face. She sighed.

"Well…Since this could help in the progress of Konoha's best shinobi, I approve it." She said formally. "Now, about the bet." Jiraya began. Tsunade raised her eyebrows. "Bet? What for?" She asked.

"I'm willing to bet that Naruto's team will win. I am the best sensei after all." He replied, ignoring the glare of one of Kakashi's eyes. "I more than certain that Sakura's going to win so you're on." She said, smirking.

"Sasuke." Kakashi said.

"Hinata." Kurenai stated.

"Shikamaru." Asuma sighed.

"Lee!" Gai exclaimed happily.

"Alright!" Jiraya exclaimed happily. Tsunade glared at him. "This race better be worth it. And make sure to test them with their abilities and everything there is to a ninja."

Jiraya's grin became wider as he stood up straight, giving Tsunade a mock salute. "Teamwork as well!" he exclaimed happily. "So they're participating with their genin teams." Tsunade stated, closing her eyes.

"No." The pervert answered. She opened one eye to see him smirking mischievously.

"They're going in _pairs_."

* * *

"One beef ramen, please." Sakura said, smiling. Ayame returned the gesture and nodded. "Sure, Sakura." She then turned to the raven-haired boy beside her. "What about you, Sasuke-san?" she asked. 

"I'm not hungry." He stated simply. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. I was merely imagining the grumble I heard from your stomach earlier." She said, poking his chest.

He smirked at her, lightly gripping her hand to prevent her from poking him any further. He leaned closer to her ear. "That's why I have you to feed me, don't I?" he whispered. She blushed in embarrassment, then in anger.

She glared at him, pulling her hand away from his grasp. "Why don't you go feed yourself instead?" She said angrily, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Here's your order!" Soon, Sakura's order was placed on the table.

"Thanks." Sakura mumbled and turned to her food, only to see Sasuke already holding the chopsticks. She gaped at him. "Go get your own foo-"

She stopped when he placed a slice of beef in her mouth. Everything else forgotten, she chewed smiling. "Your cooking in great, Ayame-chan! I'm sure Naruto would love it even more!" she said.

The said girl smiled, bowing. "Thank you, Sakura-chan." She said then walked away. "Ehem." Sakura turned to an irritated looking Sasuke. "What?!" she asked him.

"Don't I get a thank you?" He said. She simply glared at him. "I still haven't forgiven you for stealing my-"

"Sakura-chan, teme!" Naruto's enthusiastic voice was heard, followed by Hinata's softer one. "Hey Naruto, Hinata-chan." Sakura acknowledged them. "Hn. Dobe." Sasuke replied, glaring at the blonde. He did interrupt their conversation, after all.

"Tsunade baa-chan wants us to go to the Hokage Tower. She said it's important. The whole Rookie Nine is going! Even Team Gai!" Naruto said all in one breath. He wasn't called Konaha's loudmouth for nothing.

Sakura sighed. "Okay, we'll be there." She replied, digging in her pocket to get money to pay for the food _she hasn't even really eaten_. Someone beat her to it and put a wad of bills on the table. She looked up to see Sasuke with his hands in his pockets, as usual.

"Hn. Let's go." He said monotonously, starting to walk out of Ichiraku. "Thanks Sasuke!" She said, catching up to him and holding his hand in hers. He smirked.

_Annoying._

* * *

"How long will it take?" Tenten asked. Tsunade has just briefed them on what would happen in the event. "As long as it takes for you to complete the tasks. More or less, I think a month." She replied. 

"Who else is participating in this, Hokage-sama?" Ino asked. "Only twelve of you." She answered. Everyone looked at each other. "But, baa-chan! Are we going against everyone? Or maybe in teams?!" Naruto asked.

"Shut up, dobe." Sasuke said, getting annoyed with the loudness of the blonde's voice. Tsunade grit her teeth, her eyebrow twitching. "You're going in pairs." She said, ignoring Naruto's comment. "Really? So who's with who?" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Ah, I'm the one deciding on that! I am the host after all!" Jiraya said grinning. Sasuke put his arm around Sakura's shoulder instinctively, glaring at Jiraya with a look at said, 'She'd better be partners with me or I won't participate in this pathetic race.'

Seeing this, Tsunade sighed. Soon, Neji's arm was around Tenten's, Naruto's was around Hinata's and Shikamaru's was around Ino's in a lazy manner. She eyed the white-haired man. _You better choose the right pairs._ She thought smirking.

The pervert didn't seem intimidated at all. In fact, he seemed happier than ever. He started calling out names.

Team 1: Naruto and Hinata

Team 2: Neji and Tenten

Team 3: Sasuke and Sakura

Team 4: Ino and Shikamaru

Team 5: Shino and Lee

Team 6: Kiba and Chouji

"And that's it!" He said. Sakura sighed. _At least I'm with Sasuke_. She thought. _'Hell yeah! Now we can kick some butt!'_ Inner Sakura cheered.

"Hokage-sama, what's the prize if you win?" Shino asked monotonously, his hands in his pockets as usual. "Ah, yes!" Jiraya started, answering for Tsunade. "If you win first place, you can get the whole Icha Icha Paradise Collection!" he said happily.

Kakashi, who was behind Sasuke instantly stiffened. He put a hand on either one of Sasuke's and Sakura's shoulders. "I need either you or Naruto to win. You can give it to me if you don't want it!" He said happily.

"Now, now, Kakashi." The more perverted one started. "These teens also need guidance. They need to know some tips to use with each other in the future…" he said. Someone coughed. Everyone turned their eyes to the source of the sound.

Shino. "As far as I'm concerned, I have no intention of using those tips with my," He took a side-glance at Lee but no one noticed because of his tainted glasses. "…partner." He finished. There was a hint of disgust in his voice.

Almost everyone in the room bit their lip to prevent from laughing.

"Is that the only prize for the race, sensei?" Hinata asked. She had stopped stuttering years ago. Although she still did sometimes, especially if it concerned a blonde-haired loudmouth.

"Well of course not." Tsunade replied sending Jiraya a death glare. "The pair who wins gets a trip to the beach resort for two. It's a popular place somewhere in the Ocean Country." She said.

The girls smiled. "Ha! Me and Shika-kun can win anytime!" Ino said proudly. "Troublesome." Shikamaru muttered. Tenten glared at her. "No way! Me and Neji are the best!" she proclaimed.

Soon, both of them were having a war about which boyfriend was better. Sakura could only chuckle at her friends antics. She looked up at Sasuke and smiled. "Ne, we'll show them." She said. He smirked.

"Hn."

"Oh and I forgot to mention…those who do not come in first place must face the consequences." Jiraya said. Kiba raised his eyebrow. "Like?" he asked as Akamaru barked.

One of the Legendary Sanin smirked. "You'll know later on." He said smirking. The group looked at him skeptically. Knowing Jiraya, it had to be well, perverted. They shivered and became more determined to win than ever.

"This will begin tomorrow. So I suggest you pack your things tonight. Be at the Konoha gates at 9:00am. Jiraya will be the one to say what you have to do from there. You are all dismissed." Tsunade said.

Everyone nodded and was soon gone in a puff of smoke.

* * *

9:00am the next day… 

"Good. You're all here already." Jiraya said. "Just to let everyone know, you may encounter many problems like thugs, missing nin and traps along with many others. So I suggest everyone be alert." He said.

He then gave them a thumb up. "And, I'll be checking up on you from time to time so don't worry!" he said. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at him. "Just tell us what do first so we can get this over with." He stated bluntly.

Jiraya sighed. "Fine." He grumbled. _Party pooper_. He thought then smirked to himself. He had a plan. Too bad it would be too late when they know what he did. He chuckled. Icha Icha Paradise would earn big after this race for sure.

"So?" The statement of the Uchiha shook him away from his thoughts. He sighed then cleared his throat. "Within the 3 mile radius after you step out of the Konoha gates, there are 6 scrolls hidden in different places." He said. "So all we have to do is find one?" Naruto asked.

Jiraya nodded. "The instructions on what to do next is listed on the scroll. You have to complete everything it says. You'll be given more tasks to complete later on and you will receive points according to how well you've completed them. After a few more tasks, there'll be a pit stop. The last team to arrive there will get a deduction of points. When the race ends, the team with the most points win."

They nodded in understanding. Jiraya smirked. "So what are you guys waiting for?!" He bellowed. In a split second, everyone was gone…except Naruto, and Hinata who waited for him. Jiraya's eyebrow twitched.

"What are you still doing here?!" He asked, annoyed. "Eh? Aren't you supposed to give the GO! signal?" Naruto asked. The pervert punched Naruto on the head. "I just did. And you better win because I placed my bet on you." He said.

Naruto scratched his head and grinned. "Hah! Me and Hinata-chan would win anytime! Dattebayo!" he exclaimed, disappearing with Hinata a second later.

* * *

_Sharingan._ Sasuke looked around and smirked after a few seconds. "There." He pointed the direction to Sakura who nodded in return. In a matter of minutes, they were able to get the scroll, easily avoiding traps set up. 

"Too easy." Sasuke said, smirking. Sakura rolled her eyes. "Don't get too cocky." She commented. She swiftly put the scroll in her backpack after she sensed strong chakra coming from the north.

There were five. Judging by their appearances, they were missing nin – Jounin level. Sasuke put his arm in front of Sakura protectively. Sakura glared at his back. "What?! I _can_ fight too, you know!" She exclaimed.

One thing she didn't like about Uchiha Sasuke was his possessiveness. Well, sure it was sweet that he cared for her. But preventing her from fighting less capable ninja was quite an insult.

"Save your energy for later." He muttered. She rolled her eyes. "For your information, I am very capable to-"

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" One of the nin said, smirking. "A pinky and a chicken. How amusing." Another added. Sakura's fists clenched as Sasuke's eyes narrowed. "What did you say?!" She said darkly.

One of the other men chuckled. "A feisty one, isn't she?" he said, looking at her up and down. "Say, I might actually have a hot chick in my bed tonig- ARGG!" He seethed, glaring at Sasuke who just threw a kunai that hit his thigh.

The Uchiha had the same glare on his face, only 100 times deadlier.

Yep…It would be a long month indeed.

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**Author's Note:** How was that? Ah, not much action and romance yet but I promise you it'll get better in the next chapters ;) I don't know what came over me when I thought of the title. It's just temporary though so it could change if I think of a better one. What do you guys think? 

Please tell me if you spot any mistakes. I'm not sure about the spelling of some Naruto terms so forgive me if I made any. Also, I'm welcoming suggestions regarding the tasks they're going to take. I only have a few in mind and I need a lot more. So your suggestions help a lot xD

**Please read and review.**

Till next time!

**- Gabbeh**


	2. Harder Than It Looks

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Naruto...

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**Author's Note: **Here's chapter 2! Wow 50 reviews for the first chapter?! You guys are awesome! I really appreciate every single one of them. Thanks so much guys :) I hope you like this chapter even better than the last ;)

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**Race of Romance  
Chapter 2: Harder Than It Looks**

"Why you chicken bit-!!"

In a mere second, one of the other men fell down, clutching his shoulder as he pulled out a shuriken embedded on his skin. He was the one who called them a chicken and pinky.

"Che. Weak." Sasuke said, still rooted on the spot. His hands were still in his pockets and he was glaring at them. This was enough to make all of them shiver. But still, pride prevailed and they didn't show any signs that they were intimidated.

_Wrong move._ Sasuke thought smirking, looking at each and every one of them thoroughly. "Sakura, read the scroll. I'll take care of five of them." He said to her monotonously. She glared at him. "What?! I want to fight too you know!" She demanded.

Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You can fight some other people later, okay?" he said. She noticed the determination in his voice. 'Hah! I bet he's pissed about what those guys said!' Inner Sakura cheered.

Sakura sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine. But you owe me." She said. Sasuke smirked, turning to the five people standing on the other tree branch.

"Get him!" One of the nins said. He seemed to be the leader of the group. The other four quickly jumped, trying to hit the raven-haired man. Sasuke smirked deflecting all the attacks coming his way.

He took a side-glace at Sakura who was currently opening the scroll. _Hn. I better use long range fighting then._ He thought. He quickly threw four kunai with dead accuracy. Three were hit and each of them retreated to another tree branch. One escaped with a small scratch.

He smirked when he saw the hand seals being made by the enemy. "Kai!" He said. The genjutsu was gone as soon as it came. A few seconds later, his eyes widened, noticing a kunai with an explosion tag hit the tree they were currently standing on.

He looked at Sakura. She _should _have already jumped off the tree to escape from the explosion. The problem was that she seemed to be very engrossed with the scroll she was reading…

"Shit." Sasuke cursed, hastily running to get Sakura out of the way.

* * *

Kiba and Chouji.

"We're almost there!" Kiba exclaimed. Thanks to his and Akamaru's keen sense of smell, they were able to track down where one scroll was found.

Chouji? He was eating potato chips…as usual. Akamaru looked at the bag of food. Kiba looked from his dog to the chips. "Hey Chouji, how many more bags do you have of those?" he asked.

"Hmm? -_crunch_- About thirty more. -_chew_- Why?" He said, turning to Kiba. Soon, the chubby boy held up the last potato chip, looking at it longer than usual. He licked his lips. Ah, the last potato chip was always his favorite.

Kiba raised his eyebrow. "Well, can me and Akamaru have one bag-"

He stopped, gaping at the scene before him. He didn't notice his dog jump out of his jacket earlier. It seemed that it was really hungry. And the only thing edible in front of it…was the potato chip in Chouji's hand.

Wait, correct that. The chip that _used to be_ in Chouji's hand. It was now being chewed happily by Akamaru and in a while, it would go to his stomach. Big mistake.

Chouji could only gape at the dog, happily chewing HIS potato chip, which used to be in HIS bag that was bought by HIS money. And, this chip was actually HIS favorite. Kiba could only plaster a fake smile on his face.

"Ha! Ha! Well, look at that. It seems Akamaru is hungrier than usual." He said while shaking. He had heard stories from Shikamaru _never_ to steal the last potato chip from Chouji…or hell will break loose.

"My…potato chip…" Chouiji said, a shadow cast upon his eyes. Kiba could see his lip twitching and his fists were clenched. Without thinking, the dog boy quickly picked up Akamaru and dashed in the direction of the scroll.

Chouji glared at their retreating backs. Smoke could evidently be seen coming out from his nostrils. He ran after them with all the speed he could muster.

"MY POTATO CHIP!!"

* * *

Neji and Tenten.

_Byakugan._ Neji looked around and after a while, he smirked. They were just right outside the gates of Konoha. Everyone else already left, going into the forest. Tenten looked at him curiously. "Can you find one, Neji?" she asked.

"Hn." He walked back, stepping even closer to the Konoha gates while his hands were in his pockets. Tenten's eyes widened. "Hey! Are you quitting?" she asked doubtfully.

That was the only reason she could think of why Neji would walk towards the Konoha gates, making it look like he was going back inside the city. She instantly smiled when she saw him pick up something from the floor, just beside the gate.

He held it up, inspecting it as his smirk became wider. Tenten laughed, pumping her fist into the air. "Yeah! You go, Neji!" she exclaimed happily.

Who would have thought that one scroll was hidden right where the race started?

* * *

Shino and Lee.

After a few minutes, Shino's bugs returned, carrying the information they needed – the location of one scroll. They jumped from one tree to another to get it. Silence…

"We'll win for sure! The fire of youth is burning within us!" Lee exclaimed happily. Shino looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "If we don't win, I'll go around Konoha 100 times! If I don't succeed, I'll go around 200! And if that doesn't work I'll-"

"Lee." The said boy turned to the bug man. "I don't really care." He said, sighing. Lee grinned at him. "Ah but Shino-san! Don't you want to win the Icha Icha Paradise Collection? Gai-sensei says that the book is so full of youth!"

Shino nearly slipped when he jumped to the next tree branch. Thankfully, Lee didn't seem to notice. "Do you even know what's inside it?" He asked him. Lee put his pointer finger on his chin, showing a thinking stance.

"No." He simply replied. "Why? What's it about anyway?" He added, asking. Shino sweat dropped. "You don't want to know. But one thing's for sure. That book is _not_ full of yout-"

Wait a second. It kind of was, now that he thought about it. Youth_ did_ come out because of ehem…certain events in that book. He shivered, removing those thoughts from his head.

_I guess Jiraiya-san already polluted Gai-sensei's brain._ He thought disgustedly.

* * *

Naruto and Hinata.

"There's one hidden in a bush a kilometer from here, Naruto-kun." Hinata said. "Really?! You're great, Hinata-chan!" He exclaimed. The Hyuuga Heiress blushed. "Th-thank you, Naruto-kun." she said, stuttering once again.

"It's there." Hinata pointed once they reached their destination. Naruto grinned, running at full speed towards it. Her eyes widened. "Be careful! It has-"

"OWWIEE!" Naruto exclaimed, nursing his right hand. Hinata sighed. "…thorns." She finished, landing on the ground beside him. "Are you okay, Naruto-kun?" She asked, examining his hand.

He scratched the back of his head. "Hehe, yep! I'll be more careful next time. Dattebayo!" He said, giving her a thumb up. She smiled, turning to the plant in front of them.

Now…How do you get a scroll from a thorn bush?

* * *

Ino and Shikamaru.

Ino sighed, stopping on one tree branch as she looked around. Shikamaru landed beside her lazily. "This is so hard!" She whined. Shikamaru sighed. "So troublesome." He murmured. Ino glared at him.

"What was that?!" She asked darkly. "Nothing." He quickly replied. She sighed. "Gah, Sasuke has Sharingan, Hinata and Neji have Byakugan, Kiba can smell well and Shino has his bugs!" She said.

Shikamaru rolled his eyes. "Then why don't you go with them then?" He asked. Ino glared at him. "_Anyway_, we have to get the information from someone else. Someone who's easy to bribe…"

"The person has to be inattentive. That would make him vulnerable." Shikamaru said lazily. Ino nodded, putting her pointer finger on her chin. "And he or she has to be distracted, maybe. So that it would be easier for us to-"

"MY POTATO CHIP!"

They sweat dropped, hearing their other teammate's voice. "I guess Kiba got his last chip then." Shikamaru said. Ino rolled her eyes. "Oh well. I guess they aren't alert now." She replied. Then a smirk became visible on her face.

"The perfect victims."

* * *

"Sakura, move!" Sasuke spat. She looked at him curiously as he instantly grabbed her by the waist, successfully getting her out of the way.

BOOM!

Sasuke sighed, landing on the nearest tree branch. He carefully released Sakura from his hold. He then averted his gaze to the five nins and glared. "You'll pay for that." He said darkly, activating his Sharingan.

All five froze immediately. _Sharingan?!_ Their minds screamed nervously.

"Wait! Sasuke, I need to tell you someth-"

"Stay here." He said, cutting her off. She glared at his back as he was now charging towards the leader of the group. "Arrogant bastard." She murmured, rolling her eyes. She couldn't help but smile at his protectiveness though.

Then, she put her attention back to the scroll she was reading. She gaped at it and after a while, her eyes narrowed as she skimmed through the list. Her fists clenched after she read through the whole parchment. "Jiraiya-sama…" She said darkly, her hair covered her eyes.

Soon, all the nins were down, courtesy of Uchiha Sasuke. "Che. Too easy." He landed beside Sakura looking at her expression with a raised eyebrow. "What's wrong with you?" He asked monotonously.

When she didn't reply, he walked closer to her. In a matter of seconds, the scroll was shoved in front of him. He looked at Sakura's face. Her eyebrows were twitching and her expression looked like she could punch a tree into smithereens.

He then averted his eyes to the scroll which seemed to be the reason for her mood. His eyes narrowed at the things enlisted.

"What the fuck is this?!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Hehe so how did you like that? Anyone want to guess what's written on the scroll? xD Sorry for the short and crappy fighting scene -.- I think that was the second one I ever wrote in my life. Ah well, I hope you guys liked it though. If not…well I'll try to make it better next time.

Oh yeah, I don't think I can write all the teams' experiences in the race in the future chapters. I may write what would happen to some, but I'll be focusing on Sakura and Sasuke. As for suggestions, keep them coming! xD I love reading every one of them. I'll try my best to use all of them in this story.

**Questions: **(Please answer. It could have a great effect on the outcome of this story xD)

**Which team do you want to win? Rate from 1-6, 1 being the first place, 2 being the second and so on. **

This poll will be up for a long time – well, until I have my mind set up which team would win. So please vote. Thanks.

**Please read and review :)**

Till next time!

**- Gabbeh**


	3. Annoying Piece of Parchment

**Important Note (Please Read):** I'll be changing the mechanics of the game. Why? Because well, I realized I don't want any of the teams to go so soon (if they loose). Yeah…I'm starting to love writing the scenes with Lee and Shino xD

I also edited the paragraph in the first chapter where Jiraiya told them what to do. Everything you need to know is there. I copied and pasted it here though so it'll be easier for all of you. Here it is:

Jiraya nodded. "The instructions on what to do next is listed on the scroll. You have to complete everything it says. You'll be given more tasks to complete later on and you will receive points according to how well you've completed them. After a few more tasks, there'll be a pit stop. The last team to arrive there will get a deduction of points. When the race ends, the team with the most points win."

If you guys have forgotten, here's the original thing that Jiraiya said:

Jiraya nodded. "The instructions on what to do next is listed on the scroll. You have to complete everything it says. After a few more tasks, there'll be a pit stop. The last team to arrive there won't be allowed to participate anymore. It goes on and on until we only have one pair left."

And that's it! Please tell me in your review which one you like better. If many would like the original one then I'll change it back :)

* * *

**Race of Romance  
Chapter 3: Annoying Piece of Parchment**

"You've got to be kidding me." Shino said monotonously, reading the scroll over and over again. _Has Jiraiya-sama lost his mind?! Well…this is the pervert. Maybe he didn't have one to begin with. But he's a Legendaray Sannin! How the hell?!_ He stopped thinking. _Damn, my head hurts._

Lee looked at him curiously. "Lemme see!!" He exclaimed, getting the piece of paper from Shino's hands. His black round eyes scanned through it as he nodded a few times. Shino looked at him with an eyebrow raised. "So?" He said.

_What's wrong with him? Is he mentally challenged to see that what Jiraiya-sama is making us do is pathetic!_ He screamed in his mind. "Yosh! This is soooo easy! Gai-sensei will be so proud of me and my youth!" Lee exclaimed. Shino could only look at him.

"You do know that we have to _peek_ to do this, right?" He asked. Lee looked at him questioningly with a thick bushy eyebrow raised. "Peek?" He asked. Shino sighed, nodding. "What do you think the camera's for?" He said.

Lee pouted. "Scenery?" He said, plastering a smile on his face. Shino sweat dropped. _Well…yeah you could call it scenery. It's just that it isn't exactly the environment we're taking pictures of. Plus it will be a disturbing sight._ He thought, cringing.

He looked at Lee's smiling and determined face and sighed dejectedly.

_Yep, he's definitely mentally challenged._

* * *

"Hahaha! That was a piece of cake!" Ino shouted happily. Shikamaru could only roll his eyes. "I did all the work. Troublesome woman." He murmured and stopped jumping from tree to tree when he saw Ino's deathly glare. 

"What was that?!" She demanded, putting her hands on her hips. Shikamaru sighed. "Nothing, my dear." He said. The blonde smirked and nodded. "Good." She said, taking out the scroll from her backpack.

"We're far from them now so I guess it's safe to read it." She said, proceeding to open the scroll. Shikamaru nodded. "Be my guest." He said lazily. He watched as Ino turned bright red and a while later…she fainted.

"What's wrong with you?" He said, lazily jumping to the tree branch she was standing on. He poked her on the forehead. No response. He took the scroll out of her grip and read it. He sighed, picking up Ino bridal-style and continued jumping.

_Troublesome woman. Troublesome race. Watching clouds is so much better._

* * *

"Uhh…Neji. Are you sure this is the place?" Tenten asked, looking at the extremely long and disgusting sign. It read: 

**Need a swim? Want to relax? Or do you want very honorable companion with you? Well, look no more! The Sakura Hot Springs is open just for you!**

She gaped at it…and looked at it some more. "You can't be serious." She said. _Honorable?! What the hell?! _She thought angrily. Neji sighed, taking out the scroll and reading it over again. "Yeah, this is it." He said disgustedly.

Tenten sighed. "Why, oh why did Jiraiya-sama have to be the host?!" She said, more to herself. Neji cringed. "Let's just go and get this done with." He said. Tenten nodded and looked at the sign again.

She winced. 'Sakura Hot Springs.' Neji looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "What's wrong with you?" He asked. She smiled, noticing the caring tone in his voice. It wasn't that obvious…but it was there.

"Well…did you ever notice what the name of the place actually is?" She asked. He nodded uncertainly…then smirked. _Sakura Hot Springs, huh? _He thought of how Sasuke would react when he found out.

"Uchiha's going to throw a fit."

* * *

"We're almost there." Kiba said, turning his head to look at Chouji. "Hmph." The fat boy replied, not sparing him a glance. "You know we're sorry, okay? Akamaru was really…hungry." He said, sighing. 

Chouji glared at the dog, who whimpered, huddling even closer to Kiba in his jacket. "He didn't have to eat my last potato chip." He said darkly. Kiba narrowed his eyes at him.

"Hey! We said sorry! Besides, you had to tell Ino and Shikamaru where the scroll was, so me and Akamaru had to find another one." He retorted. "Hey! It's not my fault! Shikamaru was blackmailing me!" the fat boy said.

Kiba rolled his eyes. "Yeah he just got a bag of chips and ate until there was only one left. It's your fault we got distracted so he was able to use that shadow technique of his." He stated. "Well excuse me! That potato chip looked very delicious you know!" Chouji said.

Kiba smacked his palm on his forehead. "Yeah, fine. Whatever you say. Now we have to focus on doing what the scroll says." He said. Chouji noticed the hint of disgust in the dog boy's tone.

"Let me see the scroll." He said. Kiba threw the paper to him as he caught it easily.

* * *

"What the fuck is this?!" 

Instead of cringing at Sasuke's colorful language, Sakura only shook her head vehemently. "This is pathetic." Sasuke stated, gripping the scroll and glaring holes on it. She shook her head again, "It's so pathetic!" She exclaimed.

"He's a pervert." Sasuke added. She nodded. "Jiraiya-sama is a pervert!" She said.

"He just wants to earn money." He said. She shook her head again. "He just wants to be rich!" She exclaimed.

"This race is useless." He said. She nodded. "The race is so useless!" She added.

Sasuke turned to her with an eyebrow raised. "You're annoying." He stated. She nodded, smiling at him. "I'm so annoyi-"

"HEY!" She punched him lightly on the arm. Lightly…as in _hard. _"What was that for?" Sasuke said, glaring at her while he rubbed his now injured arm. He cringed, knowing it would bruise later. "I'm not annoying!" She exclaimed, giving him one of her own glares.

"Yes you are." He stated. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Then you're an arrogant bastard." She retorted. "Hn. At least I don't deny it." He said. She pouted, looking to her right…anywhere but him.

"Annoying, huh?" She said softly. He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You're doing it again." He pointed out. She glared at him. His heart wrenched at the sight of unshed tears, obvious in her now shining eyes.

"So what? Why would you care?! I'm just an annoying girl aren't I? Or maybe you're going to add that other word like you did years ago. What was it? Oh yeah…_weak._" She said, murmuring the last word so that he barely heard it.

He grit his teeth. He was sure she knew that was all in the past. He would never call her weak again. He didn't utter that word all these damn years so why would he start now?! "Sakura. Stop it." He said through clenched teeth.

She didn't stop. "Oh right. Now I have to follow everything you say." She said, her eyes still narrowed at him. "If I was really that annoying why are you going out with me anyway? Maybe you should just find someone els- Hmpphh"

Her eyes widened. _What the hell is he doing?!_ She screamed in her mind. But…her body played along with it anyway. Sasuke was now licking her bottom lip, asking for entrance. She complied, slightly opening her mouth.

_If this is something to get her to shut up, I could do it more often._ Sasuke thought, smirking to himself. Just when she was about to pull his neck to deepen the kiss, someone had to interrupt…

"Hahaha! Sasuke-teme's loosing it!" An extremely blonde and obnoxious loudmouth yelled. Sasuke and Sakura froze, averting their eyes to Naruto and Hinata who landed on the tree branch next to theirs. Naruto was grinning like a maniac while Hinata was blushing hard.

"Heh, teme! You can't take your hands off Sakura-chan for one second! First I saw you in Ichiraku the other week smooching like there was no tomorrow, then I saw you in the alleyway with yours hands on - god knows where, Then on the last mission when you guys _thought _I was sleeping you were-"

"Shut up Naruto-baka!" Sakura yelled. By now, her face was the same color as her hair. Sasuke, on the other hand, looked the other way. Although…even he couldn't deny the slight pink on his cheeks.

Naruto grinned. "Anyway, me and Hinata-chan are going to leave you so you guys can continue your…ermm…"

"L-lovemaking." Hinata whispered to him. "Yeah, lovemaking!" Naruto exclaimed. Soon, they were gone, speeding towards their destination. Sakura sighed while Sasuke turned his attention back to her. "Now, where were we…"

Sasuke was about to kiss her again when she poked him on the chest. "Woah, what do you think you're doing!" Sakura said, looking at him skeptically. He raised an eyebrow at her. "Naruto said to continue, didn't he?" He said, smirking.

She couldn't help stop the blush forming on her face. "We didn't even complete the tasks written on the scroll yet-"

Their eyes widened, turning their heads to look at the opened scroll, lying forgotten on the ground. Sakura sighed as Sasuke ran a hand through his raven locks. "Completing that thing won't be easy. Gahh! This is shit." She said, pouting.

He didn't cringe, already being used to Sakura's colorful language when she was pissed. He only nodded, narrowing his eyes at the disgraceful piece of parchment.

"Yeah…shit."

**Congratulations on finding this well-hidden scroll! I am very pleased with you. Now what are you doing, standing still for? Here are your exciting and pleasurable instructions!**

**1. Go to Konoha Hot Springs. Located a mile from where you are standing. Don't know which way to go? Too bad. You'll be missing so much fun.**

**2. Pick a room. That's where you'll be staying for the night. Remember only one! There's one bed too! So nice and comfy. You can do _anything_ you want on it later. -grins- You know you want to.**

**3. Okay, now you have the room, there'll be someone there to hand you a camera! Be very careful with it now. I'll also be using those for my own…researching. Actually, when this race is over, you can help me with it as well. It's going to be so much fun!**

**4. Find the hot springs. Don't worry, you won't get lost. Did I forget to mention there's only one? Yep, the beauty of a unisex hot spring. Now, don't get a nosebleed! Remember you still have a task to do!**

**5. Now, this is where your spying skills work. DO NOT, I repeat, do not let the people taking a dip know you are there. You get a deduction if you do. See? All the more reason not to get a nosebleed! Be a man! Or in another case…woman. Yeah…**

**6. So if you're already in your hiding place, what are you waiting for?! Click away like there's no tomorrow! That camera's the latest model anywhere. It can store up more than the pictures you take…seriously! It's that great. **

**7. Oh and I forgot to mention, you get bonus points if you get someone completely nude on the photo! Major points if she's a total hottie! So never ever hesitate!**

**8. Done with taking pictures? You can do whatever you want for the rest of the day. You can go to your room and lay on your bed. You can even do…stuff. Be my guest! –thumbs up-**

**9. Next day, give the camera to the guy who gave it to you earlier. You have to have at least 30 by the way! And they have to be high quality. No pictures…no going to the next task.**

**10. Want to quit? Think again. Remember the consequences you have to face if you don't win. So work hard. Believe me when I say, you'll regret it later if you lose.**

**-big smile-**

**So what the heck are you waiting for?! Get me those pictures! **

Below that sentence, there was a clear ink mark. It was obvious that whatever Jiraiya wrote there was a mistake – or rather something he chose not to let the participants read.

Sasuke glared at it. He used his Sharingan to decipher what it had said earlier. This information didn't please him one bit…

**Haha! Those pictures will definitely come out in Icha Icha Paradise! I'd even give you credit for your hard work. Yess! Big money coming my way! More money plus more pictures equals more hot models and Icha Icha expansion! I'm so smart!**

* * *

**Author's Note:** So how did you guys like that? I know there are quite a lot of swear words and ermm…perverted stuff -.- Do you think I should change the rating to M just in case? Or maybe not… Also, don't forget to tell me which one you want (the mechanics of the game) – the original or the one now. 

Thanks for the reviews! Oh and since its summer in where I live, I have a lot of free time these days. **If you have a story you want me to check out, tell me.** I'll read and review it if you want ;)

Till next time!

**- Gabbeh**


	4. Perverted Problems

**Author's Note:** Hmm, I'm not sure how many chapters this story would have yet. I'm just going with the flow – I'll just make them do the tasks I have in mind. LOL, what I like about this fic is that you don't really have a deep plot to think about…just random tasks they have to do xD

Oh and there would absolutely be no yaoi/yuri in this fic. As much as I respect it, I don't bother to read – much less write these kinds of stories. -cringes- But yes, I enjoy making this race a living hell for Shino. I never realized that writing hilarious scenes with him and Lee would be so much fun xD

Oh and I made a deviantart account: **xGabbehx**. The link is in my profile. Just click the homepage url near my penname at the top of the page. Heh, still a beginner with that so please comment :P

* * *

**Race of Romance  
Chapter 4: Perverted Problems**

"So here's your camera!" A guy, about the age of twenty said happily. Tenten glared at his smiling face. She instantly grabbed the camera and walked away. Neji followed her with his hands in his pockets.

He smirked, listening to Tenten's babbling. "Did you see his smiling face?! I bet he's also a pervert and works for Jiraya-sama! How can he even be a Sannin? If he wasn't, I might as well have stick shoved up his ass!"

"At least we would be able to train…" Neji said. Tenten looked at him, dumbfounded. "Train?! You call this training?!" She shouted angrily. He rolled his eyes. "You aren't thinking." He pointed out. Her frown deepened.

"Why do we have to think when all we have to do is to click, click and what else? Oh yeah…click." She said with disgust laced in her tone. "There's another way that you aren't taking into consideration." He stated.

She crossed her arms over her chest and tapped her foot impatiently on the floor. "Oh and what is that, oh great and intelligent Neji? Please do tell." She said sarcastically. He sighed.

"Obviously, Tsunade-sama wouldn't let us go through with this if it didn't help us with the arts of a ninja." He stated. She snorted. "Right now, it just seems to me like we're harnessing the ways of a sick pervert." She said.

"That's why…you aren't thinking deeper." He continued. She looked at him with an eyebrow raised, silently telling him to continue. "So, I'm implying that this task can be done a lot easier if we used jutsus or any of the sort."

She then smirked. "Genjutsu?" She suggested. He smirked back at her. "Took you long enough." She punched him on the arm playfully. "Sorry for weighing you down Mr-I'm-so-smart-and-you're-not." She said.

"…"

"You know, you're supposed to be denying what I said like normal people." She said with an eyebrow raised. His smirk only widened as she glared at him. She could tell what he wanted to say by simply reading his damn gorgeous face.

_Why deny a fact?_

* * *

I.Cannot.Stand.This.Damn.It.All.To.Hell. 

Who ever thought Aburame Shino had quite a few colorful words inside his head? But, it seemed as though anyone in the right mind would be thinking what he is now…if they were in a similar situation that is.

He stared. And stared more…

There it was. The place he had to stay in for one whole night. And how long is that?! So many damn ficken hours. He looked disgustedly as Lee tossed his very, very green bag on the bed.

Squeak. Squeak.

_Maybe_ the bed squeaked because of the bag's weight…Yeah that was it.

On closer inspection though, Shino looked at the railings and the physical condition of the furniture. It looked quite brand new. The only logical reason he could think of why it was squeaking because of Lee's bag – which wasn't so heavy, mind you - was because…

_Don't tell me…Shit. Damn. It. All._

Yes, Shino could think up very colorful words when pissed. Who could blame him? He had to sleep with Lee on the bed one whole night – Lee! Of all people! And this other realization…

_They had better cleaned this bed thoroughly and changed the mattress._

* * *

"Naruto-kun, would you tell me what it says on the scroll now?" Hinata asked, looking at a blushing Naruto skeptically. His head snapped up and looked at her. She raised and eyebrow. Naruto was acting really weird lately…ever since he read the scroll… 

"Wha? Oh nothing important Hinata-chan! Haha; nothing at all!" Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. A wide grin was plastered on his face. Nonetheless, Hinata saw him sweat drop. That wasn't a good sign.

"Tell me Naruto-kun." The Hyuuga Heiress said more firmly. "Why would I tell you if there's nothing to say!" He continued grinning like a Cheshire cat, all the while gripping the scroll more tightly in his pocket.

This was bad. The thought of what Hinata's reaction would be was haunting his mind…and none of those were positive…not in the least. In addition to that, he didn't want to face her father's wrath. The thoughts of what he told him before they left made him cringe.

"_Remember that Naruto-san. Let my daughter get hurt in any way and I will personally deal with you. You got that? I don't care if you're in the running to be the next Hokage. Let her get tainted…and you have to face me."_

Naruto bit his lip scarily as another memory came to mind. It was when he so carelessly splattered a bowl of Ramen on her dad's yukata. Mental note: Never ever get to his bad side… He looked over at a pleading Hinata.

_No way…_

"Haha Hinata-chan stop that! I know that it works when Sakura-chan does it to Sasuke-teme but it certainly won't work on me!" He said, a slight hint of fear in his voice. She grinned, hearing it.

"But Naruto-kun…" She continued pouting nonetheless, looking up at him with puppy dog eyes. "Ha ha! Very funny Hinata-chan but-"

"Mou…" Hinata purred. She was smiling inside, remembering what Sakura taught her. She made a mental note to thank the pink-haired kunoichi later. But for now…

A scroll was placed in front of her. She smiled at Naruto and took it from his grasp gently. "Thank you, Naruto-kun!" She beamed at him. He put on a small smile. "But Hinata-chan, it has umm…stuff. So please don't fain-"

"Hinata-chan!"

Naruto held her by her waist and shoulders before she touched the ground. He sighed.

"I knew this was a bad idea."

* * *

"Okay, how much farther?" Sakura asked. "We're near. About five minutes from now we'll be there. She smiled. "Finally! I just want to get this over and done with." She said as Sasuke agreed silently. 

They reached a clearing and there was a distinctive building not far away. Sakura's eyebrows twitched. "I guess it's there…" She said. They started walking closer to it, then…

Halt.

'Sakura Hot Springs.'

Sasuke's Sharingan flared instantly and Sakura's face paled. The 'camera guy' saw the couple and decided to welcome them inside.

**Big mistake.**

He went closer…and even closer. He took in Sakura's features – She wore a red sleeveless top, white mini skirt with slits at its sides and black leggings that reached inches above her knees. And damn, did it show off her curves.

The man grinned suggestively at Sakura whose face was getting paler by the second. He walked closer to her and put his hand around her waist. "Hey babe. Want to come with me to the hot springs?" He asked seductively.

**An even bigger mistake…**

Camera man…get ready for Sasuke's own version of hell.

* * *

"Okay, I guess it's safe to do it here." Shikamaru said. Ino nodded, starting to perform hand seals. "Tell me why I have to be the one to do the jutsu again?" She asked, slightly irritated. She remembered the conversation she had with the pineapple-haired man earlier. 

He said she would be performing the genjutsu and he would be the one taking the pictures. It was slightly annoying her to no end when she thought he only wanted to take the pictures to actually look at what was…well, in front of him.

She sighed, continuing to act like a non-suspecting woman in the 'hot springs' and shook her thoughts away. She knew Shikamaru…he wasn't that type of guy. She thought that the only pictures he would be glad to take were one that involved clouds…

Evidently, her thoughts were wrong. Shikamaru smirked, having devised his own very, very strategic and full-proof plan. Sure, he was a genius when it came to missions and creating strategies…but in this situation – only one logical option popped in his head.

He grunted. _This better work._ He thought.

* * *

If there was a team with a genius, it seemed that there was one…without any. Too bad. 

"Ouch! That was my toe!" Kiba yelled frustratingly. "Well it was your fault for staying in MY spot." Chouji pointed out. The dog boy glared at him. Only one thing ran in his head.

_Why, oh why was I paired up with such a fat person!_

He grunted, making himself comfortable – all the while hiding inside the bush unseen. It was quite hard. He raised an eyebrow, looking at all the heavenly space Chouji was occupying. _Hell, the fat boy's taking more than three fourths of the free space_! His mind screamed.

Akamaru barked, signaling that there was someone approaching the spring. They immediately became silent, masked their chakra, and watched as a woman, covered only in a towel came inside. She had long brown hair and a curvy figure.

_Perfect._

Kiba immediately took out the camera and already started clicking away without thinking. Although they could see her body, her face was quite unseen – mainly because she didn't look their way and turned her back on them.

Her towel…ever so slowly…

Chouji could feel a nosebleed coming. "Hurry up and get those pictures already Kiba!" He whispered in Kiba's ear frantically. The dog boy wasn't doing so well himself. It was probably because _he_ was the one actually _taking _the photos.

He turned to Chouji, obviously annoyed. "You aren't even helping. Close your eyes and it makes no difference!" He hissed, making sure that the woman couldn't hear him. Chouji blushed.

_Oh…Right._

The woman turned slightly sideways, giving them a better view of her pretty face. Kiba smirked. _We better get a lot of points for this_. He thought. He stopped clicking and looked at Chouji. "All done." He said, waving the camera in front of his face happily. He raised an eyebrow at the fat boy's facial expression.

"Hey are you okay?" He asked uncertainly. "Uhh…Kiba. Did you ever see Tenten without her hair in two buns?" Chouji asked, his voice wavering. Kiba looked up thoughtfully. "No…" Then his eyes snapped open, looking at the woman before them with wide eyes.

_Don't tell me…_

"Who the fuck are you guys taking pictures of?"

Kiba, Akamaru and Chouji looked up and came face to face with a very, very suspicious and annoyed looking Neji.

Oh shit.

* * *

"Uhh…Sasuke, I think you should stop now…" Sakura said uncertainly, cringing at the sight before her. "Hn." The Uchiha replied, glaring at the man one last time. "Let's just go." She said, pulling on his arm. 

"You.Touch.Her.Again.And.Die." He said darkly to the almost unconscious man on the floor. He whimpered. "Che. Stupid." Sasuke said, walking away. Sakura sighed, already holding the camera.

The man would obviously be incapable of giving it to them later. She turned her head and glared at Sasuke. "You didn't have to be that harsh, you know." She said. His eyes only narrowed. "He deserved it."

"Right." She answered sarcastically as she opened the door to their room. "Hn." Sasuke replied, tossing his bag on the bed.

Squeak. Squeak.

"No way…" Sakura murmured, staring at the bed with wide eyes. She realized what Shino did earlier. "What did you expect?" He lazily asked, looking at her. She gaped at him. "I'm not possibly sleeping at that…that thing, where people did you know what on!"

She pointed an accusing finger at the innocent piece of furniture. _Hah, innocent my ass. _Sasuke sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You have to unless you want to sleep on the floor." He stated.

Her glare darkened. "I have a packed sleeping bag just in case, thank you very much!" She exclaimed. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "It's going to be uncomfortable and-"

"Don't forget I've slept on this thing on missions before. It's definitely okay." She added, smirking. He smirked right back at her and continued what he was saying before she so rudely interrupted him.

"_And_, it's not like we're not going to do something simila-"

"What?!" Sakura screamed, blushing. He raised an eyebrow. "What's so wrong about that." He pointed out. "W-well…you k-know Jiraiya-sama. There c-could be c-camera's or s-something!" She said, cursing herself for stuttering.

Sasuke smirked wider, walking closer to her. Soon, she could feel his breath on her face. "Tsk, tsk. Don't forget I'm an Uchiha. And I didn't see any cameras in this particular room." He said near her ear.

She shivered. "But-"

Again, they were in the same situation as the one they had in the forest. Again, they were in their own world doing…their 'stuff'. And, like before, they were so rudely interrupted by none other than…

BAM!

"Wow! Our room's so big! Don't you think so too, Hina-Ohhh…" The loudmouth finally stopped yelling and stared at the couple before him. He laughed nervously at Sasuke's death glare.

"Haha! Would you look at that! Wrong room…gotta go!" He dashed outside and closed the door. Sakura sighed, tightening her grip on the camera she had in hand. "Let's go and take those pictures."

She stopped when Sasuke pulled her even closer. "There you go again. Come on, we have to take those photos. I bet we have a lot of deductions already because of the stunt you put earlier."

He grunted in response. "Fine. But you owe me." She smirked. "Okay, now. I've been thinking of using a genjutsu. The scroll didn't say anything against it." She stated. He nodded, having thought about this earlier as well.

"Now all you have to do is take the pictures and I'll do the gen-"

"I am not taking pictures of naked women." Sasuke stated monotonously. _Shit. I haven't thought of this part yet. _His eyes narrowed. Sakura sighed in frustration. "You have to while I do the genjutsu!" she exclaimed impatiently. He glared at her.

"I will not stoop so low as to take pictures of naked women for that pervert's fucking book." He said. She glared at him even harder. "Then you do the genjutsu and I take the pictures." She suggested.

Silence.

"And, I will not stoop even lower as to _create_ images of naked women for that pervert's fucking book." He said. She sighed exasperatedly then smirked, looking up at him. He didn't like that intimidating look she had one bit.

"Do this or you aren't getting any from me…ever."

He froze as her smirk widened.

That hit the spot.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I've decided to keep this story rated T. So far, I have no intention of adding mature scenes - just a mention of them but they won't really be happening (like in the conversation of Sakura and Sasuke). And some lime added too. I'm just not to type to write lemons xD 

Also, if you read closely, Sakura and Sasuke **never** did 'it' yet - maybe something close, but not that far. In this story (and probably any story I'd ever write), they want to do it after they get married. Yeah, because I believe that if you really love someone, you would wait till you get married before doing it...and Sasuke seems sweeter that way :P

Oh and so sorry if there seemed to be too much NejiTen here. I just thought the idea would be good to add in there. I was thinking of doing that with Sakura but hey, it would be pretty obvious with her and her pink hair xD

And please review. I've noticed that at least only about one out of twenty people actually review per chapter. I have about 4350+ hits for this story already -.- That and 78 favs,109 alerts and this being listed on 12 different C2s. Please review, I would really appreciate it ;) Plus, more reviews – the faster I update xD

Till next time.

**- Gabbeh**


	5. A Very Long Night

**Author's Note: **Hey guys…woah I finally updated this story after about a month. Sorry for the wait. Anyway, hope you guys like this chapter.

Oh and just to make this clear – the building they're staying in have quite a lot of hot springs. All of them are unisex, so anyone can go in. I just wanted to make that clear because that would somehow explain why the characters have been visiting a hot spring without seeing each other :)

Thanks so much for reviewing the last chappie:

**Blackdragonwingz, DevilQueens, Rae Ahn Mae, sweet girl, sasusakufan2357, LoveBubblz, SweetKisses9, ninja-kyoko, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Aquamirra.chan, rizeleth, secret24, lacusclien4, kattylin, Moona-Chan, CrAzY-SiLLy-Me, badbunny1818, Minna, Sakura-Chan-1800, LoNeLy-GiRl14, frienz4ever, MangaFanatic, Crystalized Rain, -my-name-is-V-, rayluva4, nickygirl, danielie, fleeting thought, chimamire, CesiliaaktlSasuke, pinky101, sasusakux3, Kunoichi142, asuka02redeva, NinjaBethi.x.x, BuBbLe GuM cHeRrY, XXDragonheart6XX, Raefire, HPBabe91, hiya!, emiko.itooshi, SasukeEmoAvenger, SadowKitty, Zexes, Kawaii IceCream, Sakura Angel 4eva, x3 Blackcat x3, Catherine, NazaliaSan **and** hEaRtLeSs bReAkEr.**

A love you all :) I'm also terribly sorry if I missed anyone. All your reviews are appreciated.

* * *

**Race of Romance  
Chapter 5: A Very Long Night**

"_Who the fuck are you guys taking pictures of?"_

_Kiba, Akamaru and Chouji looked up and came face to face with a very, very suspicious and annoyed looking Neji._

_Oh shit._

"Uhh…Hey Neji!" Kiba said grinning. Neji wasn't dumb to miss the small droplets of sweat on the side of his face. His eyes narrowed. "I asked, who are you taking pictures of?" He repeated, more annoyed than ever.

"If you're thinking it's Tenten, you're…y-you're wrong!" Chouji exclaimed dumbly. Kiba nodded his head furiously. "Y-yeah! Of course we wouldn't be taking pictures of her! Right Akamaru?!" Kiba added. His dog barked in agreement…at least that's what Neji thought.

"My, my…that was a good bath!" A very _healthy_ woman said, passing the hot springs they were staying in. Kiba gulped as he saw her…flab bouncing up and down. Not a good sight…especially because she was only in a towel.

Kiba's eye twitched when Chouji pulled on his sleeve. "What is it?!" He asked, annoyed. The fat boy only gulped in response. "I t-think I have a nosebleed coming!" He whispered frantically. Kiba simply gaped at him.

_Figures that's what his dream girl would look like. Besides, their bodies were…somewhat identical. In fact, the woman's body seems to be much bigger…_ The dog boy shook his head from right to left to clear his…bad thoughts.

"Are you sure?"

Kiba's eyes snapped open, Neji's voice shaking him off his reverie.

A light bulb popped in his head.

"Yes! Of course we are. In fact, there's the one we took pictures of! Right Chouji?!" He said through gritted teeth, pointing at the woman passing by. "Huh? – uhh." He cringed when Kiba elbowed him on his stomach. "Yeah, that's her!" He said, plastering a smile.

Neji looked at them with an eyebrow raised. They both gulped. Silence…

Crack. Crack.

Neji cracked his knuckles and balled his fists. "I don't think you would take pictures of someone like that to please Jiraya-sama." He stated. Kiba bit his lip. "Ermm…of course we would! It was Chouji's idea!" He said, pointing as his partner.

"Really now?!"

_Someone save us!_

"Neji?" Tenten walked over to them – a towel around her body, by the way…_thank god_. "Tenten." Neji said, looking at her. The brown-haired girl looked at Kiba and Chouji's faces with an eyebrow raised.

"What's wrong? You guys look like you've seen a ghost." She said. Chouji waved a hand in front of his face. "It's n-nothing r-really!" He exclaimed. Tenten sighed as Neji's eyebrow twitched.

"They were taking pictures-"

"Now, Neji…" Tenten said, smiling at him. The white-eyed boy gulped. "You made me wait here for more than 20 minutes." She stated, her hair covering her eyes. Small droplets of sweat trickled down his face.

"Tenten…they were-"

He winced as she dragged him by the arm – not too gently, I might add. "Sorry, we'll leave you two here, okay? Neji and I have to…discuss something." She said smiling, looking at Kiba and Chouji from the corner of her eye.

Both of them nodded their heads furiously, gulping when they saw Neji's eyes glaring at them. They knew what it meant perfectly well. _I'll deal with you guys later…_

"Neji are you coming or what?!" Tenten exclaimed, still pulling his arms. He rolled his eyes. "Yeah…coming." He said. The two boys sighed when the Hyuuga and weapons master were no where to be seen.

_Oh how the mighty have fallen…_

* * *

"Mmm. That wasn't so bad, was it?" Sakura said, stretching her arms upward. She looked at the raven-haired man beside her from the corner of her eye. "Hn." He simply replied. She grinned when she noticed a tint of pink on his cheeks. 

Cute…

"So, what do you want to do now?" She asked. "Hn." He replied again. She rolled her eyes. _I figured he would say that. _She thought. "Anyway, I'm going to go back to the hot spring." She said, wanting to relax after doing that…disturbing genjutsu.

"Aa."

She smiled, tiptoeing to kiss him on the cheek. "See you later!" She said, ready to walk away. After only three steps, she felt his hand grab her arm.

Her eyes widened as she turned around to look at him. "Hmm?" She asked. She raised an eyebrow at his smirking face, blushing when he bent down to whisper in her ear.

"Why don't I go with you?"

* * *

"What the hell is this?!" Ino seethed, looking at the pictures Shikamaru took. The pineapple head bit his lip_. Please no!_ He screamed in his head. His very, very strategic and full-proof plan was going down the drain… 

He gulped. "What do you mean? Aren't they good enough?" He asked, trying to say it in the calmest way possible – he failed. She only glared at him and shoved the digital camera to his face. He immediately became red, seeing one of the pictures on the screen.

_Ohhh…nosebleed coming!_

Though, on closer inspection – ehem ehem… - He noticed that the picture wasn't taken too well. First, not the whole face of Ino was seen. Also, part of her body was cut as well. Shikamru gaped at them.

_But, but! I thought…_

"How exactly did you take those _horribly _taken photos anyway?!" Ino asked. Shikamaru only put his hands inside his pockets and gulped. It's now or never…

"I closed my eyes."

Ino sweat dropped. "What the hell? Why?" She asked. His face became beet red. That 'reply' was more than enough to explain his actions. She smirked as all the information sunk in her head.

Still, she had wasted so much_ precious_ chakra to make that genjutsu work, only to find out it was all useless…

"Shikamaru." She called out happily. He didn't like her malicious grin one bit. "What is it, dearest?" He asked, smart enough to know it would be bad to anger his already mad blonde girlfriend.

Her face suddenly turned dark. He gulped as she cracked her knuckles and balled her fists.

"Do it properly…or you're going to get more than just a nosebleed from me."

_Troublesome._

* * *

_Fuck. I can't believe I did that. _

"You were awesome, Shino-san!" Lee exclaimed, patting him on the back. The boy with glasses merely sweat dropped.

Since Lee was more of a taijutsu user, he _had _to be the one to do the genjutsu. Lee on the other hand, didn't seem bothered by the fact that he had to take pictures of almost nude people. In fact…he seemed inspired, babbling stuff about youth.

Shino shook his head from left to right. _I'll never understand him._ He finally concluded. He sighed. _I can't wait to get to that bed and sleep all nigh- wait. _He groaned, slapping his right hand on his forehead.

_Shit. I do not want to lie down on that bed with Lee! Him of all people! Then that squeak squeak sound I heard earlier. Fuck. There's no way I'm going to do this._ He screamed in his mind.

He then shook his head from left to right for the nth time, ridding himself from his…thoughts. He sighed.

_I think I'm going insane._

* * *

"You're sleepy already?" Sasuke asked with an eyebrow raised, watching as Sakura yawned. She glared at him. "It isn't my fault." She stated, crossing her arms in front of her chest, pouting. 

He smirked, seeing a pink mark on her neck. She looked at him with an eyebrow raised as she followed where his gaze was. She blushed, covering the mark. "This is all your fault." She said.

His smirk only widened as he put his hands back in his pockets. "You enjoyed it." He said monotonously. She gulped. "In fact, you happily played along." He added. She blushed. "Shut up!"

"Excuse me, do you know where - Ohhh"

Sakura tensed as a blonde girl – who looked about the same age as her - walked in front of them. She was only in a towel, obviously ready to go to the hot spring. She didn't like the lustful glint she had on her face one bit.

Her eyes narrowed as the girl put her hands on Sasuke's chest, a suggestive grin on her face. "I was wondering where I could find the 'male companions' they were talking about on the sign in front of the building…" She purred out.

"You are mistaken." Sasuke said with eyes narrowed, prying her hands off his chest. _Yeah! Get your hands off him you bitch!_ Sakura screamed in her head. The girl turned to look at Sakura, as if seeing her there for the first time.

She averted her eyes from Sakura and back to Sasuke. She smirked, "I believe you are done with this costumer. Don't worry…I feel like giving a big tip today." She said, now drawing circles on Sasuke's chest with her pointer finger.

"Get your hands off him, you slut!" Sakura screamed, no longer able to hold in her anger. The blonde looked at her with an eyebrow raised, removing her hands from Sasuke's chest.

"Who are you to say that, you whore?" She said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "She's not a whore." Sasuke said darkly, wrapping an arm around Sakura's waist. The girl's eyes widened.

"B-but! But I-"

"Leave us alone." Sasuke said. "Hmpff! You aren't that handsome anyway!" She said indignantly, storming away. "What an idiot." Sasuke stated, watching the girl's retreating back.

Sniff. Sniff.

He sighed, running his other hand through his raven hair. "Sakura…" He said. "I'm n-not a w-whore, right Sasuke?" She asked, looking at him. He only brushed away the tears on her face, kissing her chastely on the lips.

"Of course you aren't." He said. She grinned, seeing a small smile on his face – one only for her. She buried her head on his chest as she wrapped an arm around his waist.

He smirked, returning the hug. "Sasuke?" She whispered. "Aa." He replied. She whispered something, her face still buried in his chest. Her words caused him to smirk, tightening his hold on her.

_I love you…_

* * *

"Uhhrgg." 

Poke. Poke.

"Naruto-kun, I don't think you should do that." Hinata said. The blonde turned to her. "But Hinata-chan! Where do we get our camera then?!" He wailed. The Hyuuga heiress knelt beside the almost unconscious body on the floor.

"Umm…excuse me, but could you give us the camera we could use…" She started. "H-help!" The camera man croaked out. "T-that raven-haired guy's going to kill me!" He exclaimed. Hinata looked up to Naruto.

"Why would Sasuke-san want to hurt him?" She asked. Naruto merely shrugged his shoulders, looking around. "Don't know, the teme's crazy anyway." He said. "P-please help!" The man raised his hand and reached it in front of Hinata in a dramatic way.

He blinked, trying to refocus his eyesight. Too late…

_Hey what's this soft thing?_

Squishy. Squish.

"Ahhh!" Hinata screamed. Naruto instantly averted his eyes back to her. His face darkened at the scene before him. There was Hinata, kneeling beside the _innocent_ man. Yep…and his _innocent _hand seemed to be on something that…ermm, belonged to Hinata.

"What do you think you're doing, idiot?!" Naruto bellowed, grabbing the man by his collar as he lifted him from the floor. In the process, his hand was removed from Hinata's…personal object.

"N-naruto-kun! Be careful, he's still injured." She said. Naruto continued glaring at the man nonetheless. Meanwhile the camera person waved his hands in front of his face. "N-no! It was a mistake, I-"

Kapow! (x100)

"Umm…I think that's enough now, Naruto-kun." She said, cringing at the sight of the now unconscious man on the floor. Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, that felt good! Ha! No one touches Hinata-chan and gets away with it!"

She blushed. "Thank you, Naruto-kun." She said as they walked inside the building. She gave one last glance to the man on the floor and sighed sadly.

_Poor camera man…_

* * *

"Gai-sensei!" 

Shino groaned, sitting up for the hundredth time that night. He scratched his head, looking at the man sleeping beside him. "Do you always talk in your sleep?" He asked no one in particular.

"Gai-sensei!"

Shino rubbed his eyes. "Uhgg…there's no way I can sleep like this." He looked at Lee once again, barely dodging the kick sent to his face. "What the hell?!" He exclaimed as Lee kicked him again – this time aiming for his stomach.

He instantly got out of the way in time to dodge the second attack. "He trains even when he sleeps." Shino sighed. "This is going to be one long night. He thought, cringing.

"Gai-sensei!"

This time, he wasn't able to dodge Lee's hands coming around him. In a mere second, he was lying down beside Lee, with the spandex user's his hands wrapped around his waist. Shino gulped.

_This is not good…_ He desperately tried to pry Lee's killer grip away, failing miserably. His hold only seemed to become tighter every time he tried to escape.

"Gai-sensei!"

_Yep…It was definitely going to be one long night._

* * *

"Argg…" Kiba tossed and turned on the bed. He glared at the sleeping boy beside him. He sighed, scratching his head. _Why did I have to be paired up with such a fat person, damnit!_ He screamed in his head. 

Again, he looked at all the heavenly space Chouji was taking up with his oversized body. His eyes widened as the potato-loving boy moved in his sleep.

THUD.

"Owww." The bog boy uttered out, scratching his sore rear as he stood up after falling on the floor. He was careful not to move Akamaru, who was sleeping on his own small bed on the ground. He glared at the boy taking up the _whole _bed. "Chouji…" He said.

"Ohh…yummy potato chip." The boy said drooling. Kiba rolled his eyes. "Chouji…" He repeated, shaking him.

No response.

"Chouji!" He exclaimed. The said boy instantly sat up.

"Where's the potato chip!" He shouted, looking around. He blinked his eyes to see clearer. "Huh?" He said, focusing his eyes on his partner. Kiba was about to open his mouth when…

He remembered the first two rules Shikamaru told him before the race started.

**Rule Number 1: Never get the last potato chip.**

_Broken_

**Rule Number 2: Never call him fat. **

Kiba gulped. "What?!" Chouji exclaimed again, angry that the dog boy woke him up from his beauty sleep. "Uhh…nothing! Haha sorry for waking you." He said, waving his hands in front of his face.

Chouji only grunted, lying down – taking up all the space on the bed once again. Kiba groaned.

_Why the hell was I paired with such a fat person?!_

* * *

"Hmm…Sasuke." 

The said man smirked, moving the strands of pink hair covering her face. Her eyes opened as she blinked and looked at the sitting figure beside her. "Aren't you going to sleep yet?" She asked.

He simply bent down and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Go to sleep. I bet we have to do more…_things_ tomorrow." He said. She smiled, pulling him down to lie beside her.

"You need sleep too." She stated as she placed her head on top of his chest. "Good night, Sasuke." She said. He wrapped an arm around her waist. "Aa." He replied.

He sighed as he heard her even breathing, signaling that she was asleep. Silently, he took out something from his pocket. A small smile appeared on his face as it gleamed in the moonlight.

_He would ask her…someday._

* * *

**Author's Note:** Whee…I'm glad I was able to write all that out xD

Someone guess what Sasuke was holding :P Bleh, it was quite obvious though…so yeah xD Hope you guys liked the chapter. I know some of them acted OOC, so I'm sorry about that -.-

Reviews make me happy :)

**- Gabbeh**


	6. New Missions

**EDITED (04.20.09):** Just edited a few things…finally, this chapter looks almost like how I imagined it xD I'm not sure when I'll be able to post the next chapter though. As of now, I'm prioritizing my other story, **Love or Chaos? **

Thanks so much for 1000+ reviews for that fic, but I'm sorry because I can't post up the next chapter for that this week since I've been really busy. So sorry guys…but you can check my other stories – I've posted up some new ones. I'm pretty sure you'll enjoy them if you liked reading this fic ;)

* * *

**Race of Romance**

**Chapter 6: New Missions**

-

"Sasuke, wake up." Sakura patted the arm currently circled around her waist. The said man only grunted and pulled her even closer to his chest. She rolled her eyes and turned around to face him.

She giggled when she saw his serene face. Really, who knew such a terrifying ninja (for his enemies anyway) could look so cute when he was asleep. He frowned, still closing his eyes. "Sakura, shut up."

She just grinned evilly and pried open one of his eyes with her thumb and forefinger. "Rise and shine!" She shouted, still grinning at him. That smile left her face when she felt him suddenly on top of her body and pinning it to the bed.

Now it was his turn to smirk. She won't mention that he had bed hair and the fact that he looked like he was half-asleep. She valued her life, thank you very much.

"You're going to pay for that."

Before he could bring his face any closer to hers, she put a hand on his chest. "Sasuke, we need to go. Our meeting with Jiraiya-sama's going to start any minute now."

She thought he heard him mutter 'pervert' and 'go to hell' with some curse words in between. She sighed.

"Let's just get this over with."

* * *

Jiraiya smirked at the pissed off ninjas in front of him. "As you can see, there are 6 scrolls on the table." He said, pointing at each of the parchment. "There are 2 red, 2 blue and 2 green. Scrolls of the same color have, more or less - the same mission written on them."

"Some are fairly easy and some are more difficult. Of course your task is to complete the mission as fast as you can, no matter how hard it is. You can choose which scroll you want. Now."

He laughed when he saw most of them have a look of shock on their faces, then race for the scroll they wanted…although he slapped his hand to his forehead when he saw Naruto carrying a still fainted Hinata. He just sighed and hoped the blonde idiot would pull it together soon enough.

At least Sasuke and Sakura weren't exactly doing a good job either.

* * *

"I'm so sorry-"

"Hinata-chan, really it's fine! You said sorry a hundred times already!" Naruto gave her a toothy grin. She looked down at her feet, while fidgeting - what she often did when she was twelve. She mentally scolded herself for being so stupid.

She blushed when he hugged her for a few moments. He let go, and smiled at her. "Don't take it too seriously! It's not your fault. _I _was the one who wasn't fast enough to get the scroll you were telling me to…"

She shook her head. "I was the one who gave the instructions too late. I fainted when Jiraiya-sama showed us the pictures everyone took, so by the time I was able to scan the scrolls with my Byakugan, there were only two blue scrolls left."

Naruto laughed. "Don't worry too much. The teme and Sakura-chan were the ones who got the other one. We can beat them in this mission. Dattebayo!" Hinata smiled. Trust Naruto to make things seem so easy.

But there's one problem…

Hinata cringed as she glimpsed at the scroll in her hand. She sighed and tightened her hold on it, becoming more determined than ever. _I can do this…_ She thought over and over again.

"What's wrong?" Naruto asked her. She smiled, looking up at him. "Nothing. I'm fine…I can do this." She said. He gave her a questioning look. "Do what?" He didn't know what she was talking about at all.

She blushed. "You know…Jiraiya-sama said we could get more points if we did what he suggested us to do…so-"

His laughter caused her to stop talking. "You're not going to pose as a stripper or a whore, Hinata-chan. You know I won't _ever_ allow that to happen."

Her eyes widened. "But it's the only way to gain extra points-!"

Naruto just smirked…and Hinata knew the answer before it came out of his mouth.

"I think it's time I use that jutsu again."

* * *

"I already said I was sorry."

Sakura only jumped from tree to tree faster, ignoring the annoyed voice beside her. The fact that he was easily matching her pace angered her further.

"Sakura."

"Be quiet, Uchiha." She said, not even sparing him a glance. Sasuke sighed exasperatedly – his pride was bruised as it was. He said sorry three fucking times already! That's more than he ever had for more than 5 years.

Well, if she wasn't going to listen, he would just have to do it the harder way…

Sakura gasped as she was pushed against a tree. Sasuke was about to open his mouth, when the kage bunshin disappeared in a puff of smoke with a 'poof!' Sakura was behind him, her hands on her hips. "You have to try harder than that, you know." She said, smirking.

…Until the Sasuke in front of her disappeared in a puff of smoke as well and she found herself face-to-face with none other than the real Uchiha himself. "Hn." He casually stood with his hands inside his pockets.

She closed her eyes and exhaled loudly, composing herself. Bickering with him now would get them nowhere. She was sure the others were already well ahead of them with their missions at the moment.

"So…what do you have to say for yourself?" she asked, her eyes opened and her hands still rested on her hips. "For beating up that camera man guy, Jiraiya deducted points from us. Then you had to pick the blue scroll with the worst mission ever!"

He scoffed. _How was I supposed to pick when everyone else already got a scroll? There was only one left, dammit. Naturally, I had to get that one._ "I'm not saying sorry again." Sasuke stated blankly.

She glared at him. "You have to control your temper Sasuke! You would have had time to look at the mission written on the scrolls with your Sharingan if you just didn't waste your time shooting death glares at the camera man again."

He turned his head to the side. "Che. You should have seen the way he was looking at you even after I warned him the other day. If I see his ugly face again-"

"Are you jealous?" There was a smirk on her face as she eyed the Uchiha. He only raised an eyebrow. She laughed, "I knew it! You are so-"

"Why would I be jealous? You're already mine." He whispered in her ear and she couldn't stop the pink rising on her cheeks. She took a step back, composing herself again. Really, if there was a competition named 'Who Can Make Sakura's Heart Beat the Fastest', Sasuke would win it hands down.

Actually, if there was any contest in relation to making her happy, she was fairly sure he would win all of those as well. She shook away her thoughts.

"Anyway, we need to prepare for the mission. It should be relatively easy since it's only B-class. We just have to retrieve this stolen document from a man named Miroku Satoko."

Sasuke nodded. "Let's just ambush him. The scroll says he's a womanizer. There's no doubt he would spend the night in a whore house. I take care of the bodyguards outside the room while you get the scroll from him. It says he's not a ninja so it should be eas-"

"No way!" Sakura narrowed his eyes at him. "You are not making me do the easy work again Sasuke! I can protect myself. Besides…" She folded her arms in front of her chest.

"We're falling behind with the points. Only Naruto and Hinata got deductions because they beat up the camera guy too. We_ have_ to make up for that."

Sasuke's face darkened. "Whatever you have in mind – you are _not _going to do it." He said seriously. She couldn't help but roll her eyes. "I don't have to listen to you. Besides, my idea is so much better."

He grit his teeth. _Why did she have to be so stubborn? _

"Sak-"

"Whatever you say won't change my mind. This time we're doing it _my _way." She gave him one last threatening look before she set off again, jumping to the next tree. Sasuke just sighed and followed her.

_Annoying.

* * *

_

(AN: Just to make things clearer – as Jiraiya said, the scrolls with the same color have, more or less the same mission written on them. Ex: Sasuke & Sakura and Naruto & Hinata have to get this scroll from someone - for Sasuke and Sakura its Miroku Satoko…for Naruto and Hinata, its someone else, so it's basically the same task but a different mission with different people but the difficulty level is the same. I hope I didn't confuse you guys with that x.x)

* * *

"…Catch a toad?"

Neji nodded for the nth time that day. "That's our mission? To catch a _frog_?" Tenten exclaimed, exasperated. "You couldn't have picked something more fun?" She sighed, while jumping from tree to tree. She could already see the pond Neji was talking about.

The said boy beside her scowled. "Look, it's the easiest one out of the three okay? Unless you want to pose as a whore or entertain the delegates' annoying children while they're out on some conference meeting."

"How are you so sure that the children are annoying?" She asked. Neji just gave a small shrug. "All children are. It's a fact." He answered her monotonously. She couldn't stop her heart from hammering against her chest.

_But that didn't mean—_

_So he doesn't want…_

She faked a laugh and poked his arm with her elbow. "Are you just saying that because those little kids from our mission before said you looked like a girl and threatened to cut your 'long, precious, silky-smooth' hair-"

He gave her a heated glare, and she smiled back, mocking him. Contrary to what she probably thought – he wasn't dumb enough not to see what was in her head that very moment.

_She had always loved kids._

"Hn. Children nowadays have no manners. Ours will definitely be more respectful."

Then he sped up his pace, leaving Tenten with her mouth wide open.

* * *

"Why the hell would he want us to catch a slimy toad?!"

Ino was pissed, tired of all Jiraiya's pointless missions. "First he wants us to take a picture of nude people, and now this?" She swiftly wiped a drop of sweat off her forehead. Shikamaru just sighed and thought better than to tell her girlfriend to keep quiet.

_Judging by the looks of it, I think she's PMSing._

And he did _not _want to mess with a PMSing Ino right now. That would be suicide and he had no intentions of dying this young.

He coughed. "It seems that two of Jiraiya's summoned toads are…adventurous and stubborn. So right now, we need to get them back to Jiraiya-sama." He answered carefully.

"WHAT?! That perverted freak is treating us like slaves. This race is so stupid!" She screamed. Shikamaru was going to tell her to keep it down because Neji and Tenten were right in front of them.

He concluded that the two toads would stick together since the scroll says that they're twins. If the two ninjas knew they were being followed, they showed no sign of recognition. But still…

"Ino, I think you should-"

A mere glance at his direction made him shut his mouth. In times like these, who could blame him for being scared shitless?

_Women are so troublesome.

* * *

_

Kiba's eye twitched as all the kids stared at him and Chouji curiously.

"Okay now, behave. We'll be back in a few hours." The delegates told them, as they walked towards the door to leave. They smiled at the two. "Thank you again for this. We greatly appreciate it. Though we have to warn you that they can be roudy at times."

Kiba smiled. "Don't worry Hikaru-sama, we'll make sure they're all safe and behaved." He said, bowing. The delegates smiled and left the house.

…

The once angelic, curious eyes of the kids were now gone. Those little mongrels actually sneered at them. Chouji tried to keep his cool. "Let's eat!" he said, making his way to the kitchen.

"Is food all you ever think about?" One boy said. Chouji stopped walking to look at him. "For your information, food is very good for the body." He said, obviously annoyed.

Some of the other kids laughed. "No wonder you're so FAT!"

"So fat!" The others chorused.

"Fatty!" Another shouted.

All the kids started laughing.

And that was when hell started.

…

"You okay?" Kiba asked a very tired Chouji a while later. _Damn those kids were fast runners._ Kiba thought, but decided not to say it. He didn't want his head on Chouji's platter later.

He sighed. If only they weren't kids, he would have strangled all of them a long time ago. Well, maybe except that small, quiet one sitting in the corner. He wasn't playing outside like the other children. He hadn't said anything for the past hour either. He would have been the perfect kid, if only he stopped staring at him and Chouji.

The boy's eyes were directed at him and Chouji for some reason, as if he was contemplating on something.

Chouji and Kiba's eyes widened in realization. But before they could say anything, the kid had to open his annoying mouth.

"Are you guys gay?"

* * *

"I want cake!"

"No! We want lots of candyyyyy!!"

"Now, now kids…" Lee started. Shino had no idea how he could still smile after all they've been through. He looked down at his outfit.

Rips, mud, water…saying he was a mess would be an understatement.

_These kids are so damn annoying._

_Any mission would have been much better than this._

He sighed when he saw four children now ganging up on Lee and jumping on top of his body that was now lying on the floor. He saw Lee's eyes widen. "Okay! I'll get you guys cake and candy…just get off of me!"

_Did Lee just let out a girly scream?_

What the hell was up with him?

"Lee, what's the problem?" Shino asked. It wasn't possible for the children to hurt Lee just because they were jumping on him. He was a lot stronger than that. What was it then?

Soon, he realized it would have been better if he _didn't _know the answer.

"Uncle Lee, what's this big bump between your legs?"

"Do you stuff rocks in your boxers?"

"Yeah! Why is it so hard?"

Poke. Poke. Poke.

Oh. Fucking. Shit.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Not as hilarious as I would have wanted, but I hope you guys liked it anyway. Thank you so much for all the reviews! You guys are the reason why I was able to write out this chapter at all.

I was actually already thinking of letting go of all my stories since I just don't have much time nowadays, but I didn't want to disappoint you guys so…I hope you liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it xD

Reviews make me happy :)

**- Gabbeh **


	7. Anger Management

**Author's Note: **So...after a year of not updating, here's a chapter for you guys. Haha I hope you enjoy reading, and I'm terribly sorry for the long wait. Thank you for being so patient with me :)

* * *

**Race of Romance**

**Chapter 7: Anger Management**

-

"Naruto-kun, are you sure about this?"

The said man just grinned and nodded. "Of course Hinata-chan! This will be so easy, the pervert won't have a clue what's coming to him! Believe it!"

She smiled and handed over a bag, cringing at what they had to go through just to get those. The store man was practically eating her out with his eyes.

Naruto stared at the clothes inside the bag for the nth time.

_Okay Naruto, you can do this. Be a man! Or...in this case, a sexy, perverted prostitute. Easy peasy._

He went inside the bathroom to change into his, err...clothes. Although they were more like scraps of cloth. Very tiny cloth.

"Harem no Jutsu!"

He came out of the bathroom smirking.

"That pervert better get ready for one major nosebleed!" He shouted, punching his now girly fist into the air.

Hinata should have known Girl Naruto was a D-cup. Is it even possible to have an E-cup?

And this time, there were no clouds to hide his (or rather, her) assets. Heck, she would have preferred the clouds over...this.

Holy. Shit.

* * *

Tenten and Neji were not happy.

Neither were Ino and Shikamaru.

Not happy. At. All.

The scroll should have been more specific. The toads were not only twins.

They were evil, annoying, little fuckers with big ugly mouths.

"Haha so Neji-sama, did you plan on becoming a girl? _Croak._ Because you sure look like one. _Croak._"

"Yeah, you should exchange with the blondie there. _Croak._" The other toad said, looking at Ino, "She looks like a huffing bull. _Croak. Croak_."

"_Croak. _Dude, what's with the pineapple head?"

"And the brunette there. What's with the buns on your head? _Croak. _You look like Mickey Mouse!"

And they laughed.

And laughed.

"Why you little-"

And the toads disappeared.

Again.

This was going to be a lot harder than they thought.

* * *

"Sakura."

She didn't mind him and continued humming to herself while applying her lipgloss.

"Sakura." He repeated, more strained now.

She turned to him and smirked.

"What, Sasuke?"

He grit his teeth, looking at what she was wearing. There was practically nothing! If they didn't have a mission to do he would have probably already-

Ehem.

_It's not the time to think about those things. Control yourself, Sasuke._

"You will not let the pervert see you in that outfit."

She laughed, "Why not, Sasuke-kun? You don't like it?" She said, teasing him. She walked towards him and stopped when she was only a few inches away. Putting her hands on her hips, she reminded him of the plan.

"Don't forget to take pictures after defeating all his bodyguards, okay? I'll stall and make sure he won't even hear the door open when you come in...though you probably don't need that. The guy's going to be too drunk to even recognize me so-"

"You expect me to take pictures of you with some drunk pervert?" _No fucking way_.

"Yes. I do." She glared, daring him to defy her with her eyes. He glared back and clenched his fists.

"_Sakura." _If she wasn't so serious, she would have laughed. Really, he sounded like a whining little boy.

"Sasuke."

_Calm down, Sasuke. Calm._ It's not like she was helping right now. Her top barely helped covering her...things. Her anger caused her to breathe a little irregularly and he could see it so clearly with the rise and fall of her-

"Are you even listening?!" She poked his chest. "I was here being darn sincere and you were too busy staring at my chest?!"

_Shit. She was talking?_ He looked at her. "I wasn't staring. And I just don't like the fact that a damn pervert will see you with practically nothing on." _Those are for my eyes only, damn it._

She just rolled her eyes. "I'm done trying to convince you. Your loss for not hearing what I said a while ago. We're doing it _my_ way. And that's final." With that, she left the room they were currently renting and closed the door.

_Annoying woman.

* * *

_

"For the last time, _we are not gay_."

"Gay people sitting in a treeee. K-I-S-S-"

"Shut up!" Kiba barked. Smoke could be seen coming out of Chouji's ears.

All the children gasped.

"The homo said a bad word!" A kid shouted.

"Ooooohhh." All the kids chanted, making it look like the two were in big trouble.

_Riiight._

"Shut up isn't even a bad word!" Chouji exclaimed. Really, the children were overreacting.

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut upppp!" All the children shouted, laughing and running around the room.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Hey kids! We're home!" The delegates were back. _Shit._

"Shut up! Shut up! Shut upppp!"

_Double shit._

_We are so dead.

* * *

_

Shino could not believe it.

He sneaked a peak at Lee who was currently unconscious on the floor beside him. He would die of embarrassment if any other ninja saw him now.

He, Shino Aburame, was playing dead.

Pathetic really. But what other choice did he have? Until Lee woke up, he would NOT go near those little...monsters.

Besides, never in his life would he think that kids _(little, annoying, rowdy kids) _could kill his precious insects. It's just not possible...

To think that it took only one of _them_ to start this mess. The innocent looking one who was picking his nose right after the delegates left.

What did he do, you ask?

Simple.

He _farted._

Really, the kid should be arrested for massive air pollution.

* * *

Tsunade looked at her former teammate with a raised eyebrow.

"What?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "I'm just saying, you should consider letting Sasuke and Sakura go on two-man missions. Preferably with the pink-haired medic having to...deal with men."

She glared. And glared some more. If Shizune didn't hide all of her sake bottles, she would have hit him on the head with one by now. "Are you telling me to send Sakura, _my apprentice_, on every prostitute mission that turns up?!"

"Well, for one thing, it would save us a lot of time getting those missions done." He stated.

"And why is that?"

Jiraiya just smirked. "Well, I have a few toads patrolling each pair during the whole race and one of them tells me..."

"Just spit it out, you moron. I have a lot of paperwork to do."

"Jeez, I'm trying to make it exciting here. Anyway, Sasuke needed to take down all the target's bodyguards before he could go inside the room and take pictures of Sakura with the pervert."

_Pervert? Look who's talking._ Tsunade thought, rolling her eyes. "Yes, I am aware of that. The target has 10 bodyguards, 5 of which are Jounin level."

"It took Uchiha Sasuke exactly 3 seconds to knock out all of them."

* * *

Said Uchiha wanted to kill someone.

Namely the pervert that was currently being straddled by his _girlfriend._

She didn't even look the least bit affected by whatever she was doing. He grit his teeth and started taking pictures from the far corner of the room. The pervert didn't have a clue that he entered.

Probably he was too busy staring at her chest.

Sasuke made a mental note to burn all these pictures once the race was over.

That, and kill the pervert.

10 shots. His patience wearing thin, he kept the camera and punched the guy on the face. _Real subtle, Sasuke. _He grabbed the scroll from the man's pocket and, ignoring Sakura's protests, he grabbed her waist and teleported back to their room.

"Sasuke, what the hell?!"

He glared at her and started to walk towards the door. "Where are you going?! Hey! I'm not done talking to you!" Sakura demanded. Really, he was starting to piss her off.

"To train."

She gaped at him. "It's 1 in the morning!" She held his arm and tugged on it. Then, he surprised her by turning around, gently grabbing her head and leaning down to capture her lips in his.

_What's wrong with him?_

She didn't know whether to be mad, really pissed off, surprised or happy. Then in between, she heard him mumbling. Her ear caught a few words.

_Stupid. Perverted. Bastard._

She couldn't help but laugh. "You're jealous aren't you?" She smirked and only laughed more when he glared at her. She playfully patted his cheek.

"Just so you know, nothing happened. Miroku was unconscious the second we entered the room. He was too drunk. I had to carry him to the bed."

"But I came in at least 5 seconds after you did..."

She couldn't help but laugh some more. And laugh. And laugh.

Finally, he understood.

"You. Did. Those. Poses. On. Purpose."

"Of course I did! You had to take pictures of me, right? They_ had_ to look convincing. Besides, your face just looked too funny. You looked like you were constipated!"

Maybe he could let the pervert live, after all.

"Eeep!" She squeaked, when he pulled her in for another kiss again.

"You're going to pay for that." He whispered in her ear.

She smirked.

_She didn't mind at all.

* * *

_

**Author's Note:** I'm really sorry for the long wait. Found around half of this file rotting away on my computer and finally got the time to finish it. Sorry if it's pathetic and relatively short, but I wanted to give you guys an update anyway. Maybe I'll fix it when I have time again later on. Hope you enjoyed reading it, nonetheless xD

Thank you so much for your reviews. Without them, I would have really let the file rot forever xD So thank you, thank you. You guys really know how to make an author feel appreciated. Also, to those people who sent me a PM/reviewed my stories, I'm so sorry if I haven't replied. I just don't have that much time anymore :( I'll definitely reply once I do. Anyway, for the meantime...please review and check out my other stories? :)

Till next time!

**- Gabbeh**


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